F26 Bow thruster

[MattSC]

Larry,
Here's a link to an article on how to dock a single screw inboard which was published in 2003. It is a .pdf file download. Hope it helps,
Matt

http://www.seaskills.com/files/SeaSkill ... gazine.pdf

[gettaway]

Larry,

the 14 years I had the trawler I would have loved to have had a bow thruster, I learned how to handle the boat, but having a thruster as an insurance policy would have been great.

as MattSC said, the stern can pretty easily be manuvered left or right with the rudder and a little throttle, just enough get start the boat to move, this is where practice and feel come in.

[vabeach1234]

The F26 can be difficult to handle in tight spaces when the wind isn't in your favor. About half of the time I go out alone on mine and a bow thruster would be a great addition.

When leaving the slip: The alley at my slip runs North-South and any wind out of the south when I'm exiting my slip really causes issues because the channel is at the south end of the alley. As soon as I pull out of the slip my bow will swing to the north and have me pointing in the wrong direction and the alley isn't wide enough to correct this. With someone else on board to help this isn't an issue because they can pull on the dock lines to swing the bow around. But alone, this isn't possible.

When docking you just have to plan three steps ahead.

I have to say that a bow thruster would be a great addition to a F26 when used correctly and make boating a lot more enjoyable.

As far as a stern thruster, I say don't waste your money. They are easier and cheaper to install but the prop and rudder can do the same thing. A friend has a Mainship (Single Screw) with a stern thruster but no bow thruster. The stern thruster doesn't do much on windy days, he still has to use the prop and rudder to get his stern lined up. He constantly wishes he had a bow thruster instead of a stern thruster, but the previous owner decided to go the cheaper route.

[foofer b]

Maybe a stern thruster is the way to go. Then I could at least back up straight and not to starboard.

The stern walks to one side due to prop walk - when the prop is spinning it tries to pull you. If it is not spinning, there is no pull. If you have enough speed in reverse, the water flow past your rudder can overcome the forces of the prop walk.

H.

The rudders on the F25 and F26 are very small and make it hard to maneuver in forward at low rpms. It can be dicey in no wake zones with current, wind and traffic. Once, I even had to explain about "maintaining steerage" to an cocky marine patrol hassling me about my speed in Destin harbor on Memorial Day weekend when I had to idle quite fast.

The prop walk (Asymmetrical thrust) on my boat is quite strong, perhaps because of the angle of the shaft, the keel or the fairly deep vee in the hull. Being a lh drive it walks to starboard when in reverse and does not straighten out when shifted back to neutral, even with the rudder hard over. Bumping it in and out of reverse generally causes a counterclockwise yaw, which is not overcome by the rudder steering as she coasts.

Actually the way I have found best when backing is to begin backing in with the rudder hard to port, and once I am moving a bit , I throw the wheel hard right and bump her hard in forward. If done right it does not kill all your backward momentum, but spins the bow (yaws) to the right, thus moving the stern more to port. Does this make sense?

Vabeach Said it all, "..When docking you just have to plan three steps ahead. "

I will often idle off a docking area for a few minutes thinking of how best to approach and trying to foresee any problems and how to get out of any trouble.

[Audrey II]

I'm sorry I forgot this boat is a single inboard, I don't blame you for wanting a little help, if it's in your budget I don't see the harm in installing a thruster. I would still seek instruction and try not to use it unless you need it.

[Torcan]

I am enjoying this forum immensely, learning tons of stuff
and as a newb, it is an eye opener, researching bow thrusters, I found this that hasn't been mentioned yet
Lewmar makes a retractable bow thruster, interesting.
No drag on the boat when fully retracted, pros..cons..?
http://www.lewmar.com/products.asp?id=7524&channel=1

BTW..day off today, that is why I am here reading tons of stuff

[prowlersfish]

Thats a lillte large for your boat its rate for boats 43 ft up and the install would be a lot of work ,lot more the a tunnel Thruster ( and take up a lot of room it the boat ) also it takes 24 or 48 volts to run it Or a hydraulic pump mounted on you genset . and the cost ??? bet it cost more then a small boat.


The built in ones (tunnel Thruster) should not cause much if any drag .

[Torcan]

Thats a lillte large for your boat its rate for boats 43 ft up and the install would be a lot of work ( and take up a lot of room it the boat )
The built in ones should not case much in any drag .

Not for me Paul
was just reading and researching and thought I would share the link.
I'm just going to buy bigger paddles and paddle to the dock

[prowlersfish]

It is a neat set up but looks like a rich mans toy , way out of my class



paddle to the dock ? theres a plan LOL , thruster on a buget

A sail boat in front of me docks by getting near the front piling as soon as some one puts a hand on the piling or dock line , he cuts it off and they pull the boat in . every time , even if the boar is going straight back in . This has been going on for years .


tell you whats going to happen , you going to try and dock the boat , and like the rest of us may screw up the more folks watching the bigger the screw up , well this will happen a few times as it has to all of us . then some old salt is going to come over and show you how its done .

a year or 2 from now it will be your turn to be the old salt and show someone how its done . I will bet on it .

Been there , we all have .

[foofer b]

tell you whats going to happen , you going to try and dock the boat , and like the rest of us may screw up the more folks watching the bigger the screw up , well this will happen a few times as it has to all of us . then some old salt is going to come over and show you how its done .

a year or 2 from now it will be your turn to be the old salt and show someone how its done . I will bet on it .

Been there , we all have .

BTDT, Prowler!>>>...When i got my boat I was scared to take her out . My first outing ended with me having to jump in the water, up to my chest, at some mucky, muddy boat ramp and push for all I was worth to keep my boat from blowing up on the rocks. Fortunately a good sam hopped in and helped pull the bow over to the trailer. I was so embarrased. Of course the boat ramp was full! The next time I went out I decided never to use that poorly designed ramp (i mean who would put a rock jetty beside a boat ramp!) I also was determined to practice handling and maneuvering so I would know what my boat would and wouldn't do. I picked a calm windless day on an inlet with no current and practiced approaching an empty dock, learning how the boat yaws and pitches.

[randyp]

When I first got the F26 in 1999 I wanted a bow thruster so bad....then after a few times practicing the urge started to fade. Finally, our 2008 NYS Canal Trip, going in and out of a total of 56 locks and docking in all sorts of conditions and all sorts of configurations, made the feeling go away forever. I agree with the "big boys" about practicing and learning how to handle a single screw (sort of how married life is after 40 years) in varying conditions. I can turn the boat on a dime and have learned how to back it into a slip with a minimum of hysterics.

[rbcool]

Have a customer, retired doctor in his late 70s, that had tha marina install one on his 28' Lurhs. I wired it up, including a bigger alt and dedicated battery. This guy also had a north-south slip, which made docking in late fall on the bay a real problem. Total cost $6,100

Ron

[rossjo]

Bow thrusters on a 26? wow - It might be better to learn to drive it properly than add expensive bow thrusters. Why not go down to Fort Lauderdale and take Dave's (SummerStorm) course instead? Money well spent (and a week in the sun!).

[rossjo]

On the bow thruster subject - Beneteau showed off their Sense-50 at tha Annapolis show this year - spinning sailboat!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uISv6qhN5Vc

[larglo]

Check out this one,,,,they even have 20' to 30' model. Didn't read the whole thing yet,,but looks some what simple to install

http://www.bowthrusters.net/

Larry

Check out the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOdX9rP5nLU